Time switch



W. LUCZAK TIME SWITCH April 23, 1929.

Filed Feb. l, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet ATTORNEYS April 23, 1929. w. LUCZAK TIME SWITCH Filed Feb. 1, 1,927 a Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYJS.

Patented Apr. 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES WLADYSLAW LUCZAK, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

TIME SWITCH.

Application filed February 1, 1927. Serial No. 165,112.

This invention relates to time electric switches of the type whereby an electric circuit is both closed and opened at predetermined intervals and maintained closed and opened during predetermined periods of time.

One object of the invention is to provide a time switch of this character embodying novel and improved features of construction by which a plurality of electric circuits can be closed at the same time and opened at different times.

Another object is to provide a time switch of the character described including a plurality of switch contact members, such as switch blades, for controlling a plurality of different circuits, and a plurality of cams for controlling actuation of said switch contacts and adapted to be so adjusted as to cause simultaneous actuation of all of the switch contacts to close all of the switches at the same time, and'permit actuation of each of the switch contacts independently of the others to open the various switches at different times, the cams being also adjustable to vary the periods of time during which certain of the switch contacts are to remain in closed position. a

Further objects are to provide such a tlme switch embodying a novel and improved construction and combination of cams for actuating the switch contacts; to provide novel and improved means for adjusting said cams for actuating the switch contacts at diderent times; to provide a time switch whichis simple and inexpensive in construction and reliable and durable in operation, and to obtain other results and advantages as may be brought out by the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

in which corresponding and like parts are designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters,

Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation of a 'time switch embodying my invention, unes-' sential portions being omitted for clearness in illustration;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken on the line 3-8 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a similar view, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1, and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the cams set to close both the switches at six oclock in the evening, to open one thereof at ten oclock in the evening and to open the other at six oclock in the morning,

the mechanism being shown in the position immediately after closing of the switches.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, T have shown the same as specifically designed to close both of two electric circuits at the same time, for instance at three oclock in the afternoon, to open one of the switches at for example ten oclock at night, and to open the other switch at for example six oclock in the morning, this arrangement being particularly useful in electric lighting systems for apartment houses where it is desired to light all of the lamps at the same time and to turn off the lights on certain floors late in the evening,

permitting all of the other lights to burn until early in the morning. The reference character A designates one series of electric lamps in one circuit which is controlled by a switch B, and 0 represents another series, of lamps in another circuit controlled by a switch D. These switches may be of any suitable construction, but are shown as of the knife type each including a pair of spaced and insulated spring plates 1 each connected to one terminal of the respective circuit, and a switch blade 2 adapted to make contact with both of said plates 1 to close the circuit through the switch. The switch blades 2 are mounted upon one end of respective levers 3 and i which are pivotally mounted at their other ends 5 and 6 to a fixed bracket 7. The

switch levers 3 and d are preferably arranged substantially parallel to each other to swing in vertical planes and are provided with the respective laterally projecting studs 8 and 9 which cooperate with cams for oscillating the levers about their pivots to open and close the switches.

The. stud 9 of the switch lever 4 rests by 1 action of gravity upon a cam 10 which is fast upon a horizontal shaft 11 driven in the direction of the arrow on Figure 1 through a large gear 12, a reducing train of gears 13 and a pinion 14 from a shaft 15 which may be connected to any suitable source of powerfor driving the cams at a uniform rate. Preferably a clock-work is connected to the shaft 15 for driving the shaft 11 in synchronism with time. 'The cam 10 is provided on its periphery with a surface 16 concentrio with the shaft 11, and another surface 17 also concentric with said shaft but of less diameter than the surface 16. These two surfaces meet in an abrupt and radial shoulder 19 and, in an inclined or rounded shoulder 20, and are of such diameters that when the stud 9 rests upon the surface 16 the switch blade 2 is raised to open the switch B, while when the stud 9 rests upon the surface 17 the switch blade closes the switch B. It will be obvious that as the cam 10 is rotated in the direction of the arrow with the stud 9 upon the surface 16, when the shoulder 19 reaches the stud 9, action of gravity on the lever 4 will cause said lever to swing downwardly onto the surface 17 andclose the switch B, while when the shoulder 20 reaches the stud 9 the switch lever 4 will be raised to open the switch B. The length and arrangement of the surfaces 17 and 16 are such that the switch B is closed and opened at certain times and held closed and open for predetermined periods. of time.

Cooperating with the switch lever 3 are a plurality of other cams 21, 22 and 23 all of which are loose upon the shaft 11 and are adapted to be clamped together by a screw 24 and'thumb nut 25, thescrew being secured in the cam 22 and passing through concentric arcuate slots 26,27 in "the cams 21 and 23. These cams are connected to rotate with the shaft 11 by a spring latch 28 pivotally mounted upon the cam 21 to engage the teeth 29 of a segmental rack 30 which is, keyed to the shaft 11, as clearly shown in Figure 1. It will be understood-that when the latch 28 is in engagement with any of the teeth 29, the cam 21 is positively connected to rotate with the shaft 11, and the cams 22 and 23 will rotate with the cam 21 through the clamping screw 24 and thumb nut 25.

The cam 21 is formed with a concentric surface 31 and another concentric surface 32 of less diameter than the surface 31, said surfaces meeting in an abrupt radial shoulder 33 and 'in a gradually inclined shoulder 34. The. stud 8 of the switch lever 3 rests upon the surface of the cam 21, and as is clear from Figure .1 of the drawings, when said stud engages the surface 31 the switch D will be in open position, and when said stud engages the surface 32 the switch D will be closed, the switch lever 3 being raised and lowered b the cam 21 in exactly the same manner as is t e lever 4 actuated by the cam 10 above described. The surface 32 of the cam 21 is of such length as to hold the switch D closed for a predetermined period of time.

The cam 22 has a concentric surface 35 and another concentric surface 36 which are respectively of the same diameter as the surfaces 31 and 32 of the cam 21; and said surfaces 34, 35 and 36 meet in an abrupt and radial shoulder 37 and an inclined rounded shoulder 38. The cams 21 and 22 are adj ustable relatively to each other through the thumb nut 25 so that the switch 3 will closed by the shoulders 33 and 37 permittin the lever 3 to swing downwardly, and sai switch will be opened by the shoulder 38 raising the lever 3, it being observed that the stud 8 overlies the surfaces of all of the cams 21, 22 and 23. It will be clear that by adjusting the cams 21 and 22 relatively to each other the lengths of the effective surfaces of the cams may be varied to vary the times of opening and closing of the switch and the periods during which the switch is to remain closed or opened. For example, by rotating the cam 21 relatively to the shaft and setting the latch 28 in the tooth 29 corresponding to six oclock, the switch will be closed at six oclock in the evening, it being understood that the segment 30 will be properlylocated on the shaft to co-ordinate with the clockwork. This arrangement is shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. cam 22 through loosening of the thumb nut 25, the shoulder 38 may be moved relatively to the canr 21 so that the switch will be opened at a predetermined time depending upon the location of the shoulder 3 To permit further variation in the len th of the effective cam surface for actuating the lever 3, the cam 23 is provided, this cam being interposed between the cams 21 and 22 and having a radial shoulder 39 corresponding to the shoulders 33 and 37 and a rounded or inclined shoulder 40 corresponding to the shoulders 34 and 38.

The cams 21 and 10 may be initially adjusted on the shaft 11 so that the shoulders 33 and 19 are in the same axial plane of the shaft, and this setting may correspond to three oclock in the afternoon. When the cam 21 is adjusted for closing the switch D at a later hour, for instance six oclock in the evening, the shoulders 33 and 19 are in different axial planes, as shown in Figure 6, so that there is a tendency for the lever 4 to swing downwardly and close the corresponding switch B before the lever 3 is released by the shoulder 33. To prevent this and cause the levers to move downwardly at the same time, the lever 4'has a lateralarm 41 thereon which overlies the top of the lever 3, and with this construction the lever 4 cannot descend to close its switch B until the lever 3 is released by the shoulder 33. However, this does not prevent the lever 4 being raised by the cam 10 to open the switch B in advance of the raising of the lever 3 to open the switch D, since the arm 41 merely abuts the lever 3 and is raised away therefrom as the lever 4 is elevated.

Now by adjustment of the.

While I have shown and described the indetails of construction and the invention may be used for other purposes without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself except as required by the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A time switch comprising a plurality of switches each including a movable contact member and a stationary contact, and a plurality of constantly rotating cam devices each cooperating with one of said movable contact members to open the respective switch at predetermined intervals so that said switches may be opened at different times, one of said cam devices cooperating with all of said movable contact members to close all of said switches at the same time.

2. A time switch comprising a plurality of rotating cam devices, a plurality of electric switches each including a stationary contact and a movable contact member to cooperate.

switches close at the same time and open at difierent times.

3. A time switch comprising a plurality of switches each including a movable contact member and a stationary contact, a plurality of constantly rotating cam devices each cooperating with one of said movable contact members and having two cam surfaces to close and maintain closed and open and maintain open the respective switch at and during predetermined intervals respectively, one of said cam devices having said cam surfaces adjustable relatively to the other cam device to regulate the time of opening and closing of the respective switch, and means connecting said movable contact members to cause all of said members to move to close all of said switches at the same time and to move to open said switches independently of each other at difl rent times.

4:. Atime switch comprising an electric switch including a movable circuit making and breaking contact member, a rotatable shaft, a plurality of co-axial cams rotatably mounted upon said shaft, a segmental rack and a spring latch to cooperate therewith one of which is mounted to rotate with said shaft and the other mounted on one of said cams to separably connect said cam to said shaft, means for separably connecting together said cams, and means for rotating said shaft, said cams having complemental cam surfaces engaged by said contact member whereby said member is actuated to make and to break the circuit.

WLADYSLAW LUCZAK. 

